“[A] well-crafted universe . . . [Damia] both refines and extends characterizations, especially in interrelationships and the use of mental powers . . . a winning choice for the author’s legion of fans.”

“Another exciting episode in the thrilling epic of the Rowan . . . Read and enjoy!”

—Romantic Times

“Readers looking for intelligent, heroic adventure will find it here, and Rowan fans will be especially pleased at this felicitous closing of a popular SF series.”

—Publishers Weekly

“McCaffrey maintains the high quality of characterization of humans and aliens alike, and, once again, she skillfully interweaves the plot threads, making it easy to follow the action on all fronts. A rousing conclusion to a most satisfying series.”

—Booklist

“Fans of the series will plunge right in.”

—Kirkus Reviews

Ace Books by Anne McCaffrey

The Tower and Hive Series

THE ROWAN

DAMIA

DAMIA’S CHILDREN

LYON’S PRIDE

THE TOWER AND THE HIVE

The Freedom Series

FREEDOM’S LANDING

FREEDOM’S CHOICE

FREEDOM’S CHALLENGE

FREEDOM’S RANSOM

DAMIA’SCHILDREN

ANNE MCCAFFREY

Table of Contents

CHAPTERONE

LARIA reined Saki in at the curve, to let Tlp and Hgf catch up. She deliberately kept her eyes forward, curbing Saki’s intention to gallop up the last hill to home, because she knew the ’Dinis would have dropped to four legs to make the steep climb. Tlp and Hgf were awfully sensitive about being caught on all fours. Like Humans, the Mrdinis assumed bipedal stance as soon as their back muscles were well enough developed to support the long trunk. Her father said that he thought the ’Dinis had been much relieved to learn that Human children also had to learn how to walk upright.

When Saki’s twitching ears and a waft of a musky leathery scent on the breeze announced their arrival, she acknowledged them with a whistle/click. She couldn’t quite make the sound as well as her brothers Thian and Rojer, but she did better than Zara who hadn’t the hang of it at all yet. Kaltia wasn’t even trying though she signed well enough to be understood by the ’Dinis, as Morag did. Her youngest siblings, Ewain and Petra, were too young to have more than the most rudimentary contact with their pairs.

Despite saddle bags full of the day’s catch, Saki marched vigorously uphill, careful not to tread on the flipper feet on either side of her. Tip and Huf—which were Laria’s mental tags for her ’Dinis—had taken holds on Laria’s stirrups to assist them up this steepest part of the climb. Well accustomed to hauling ’Dinis, Saki accepted the additional burden.

Dropping the reins now that Saki was behaving, Laria had hands free to sign to her companions in excitement over their success hunting. They’d never hear her well enough over the clopping of Saki’s hoofbeats if she spoke aloud. Tlp and Hgf clicked and clacked happy sounds which echoed in their skulls. They could produce any number of identifiable noises that way, ranging from fear to bravado, agreement, dislike, curiosity, concern, enjoyment, and what passed for ’Dini laughter.

Neither species could quite manage the varied sounds needed to reproduce the subtler nuances of the other’s speech, but Human body language could add emphasis to words and so could ’Dini body movements. Their five fingers were as dextrous in reproducing arbitrary patterns as their oral cavities were in producing understandable pitched noises that Humans could copy. Both languages, as spoken by the other species, were refined to somewhat limited vocabularies that fortunately could be extended into quite a few technical areas: such as space travel, basic engine design, biological and meteorological sciences, metallurgy, and mining.

Laria’s mother and father, Damia and Afra Raven-Lyon, had spent the past fifteen years developing and refining this communications bridge—apart from the Dreamings—with Mrdini colleagues. Laria had been the earliest Human test subject. Constantly surrounded from birth by adult Mrdinis, and then young Tip and Huf, she had absorbed posture and sounds just as any child learns another language from early exposure. By the time she was six months old, she had had Tlp and Hgf as cribmates and had dreamed the pleasantest dreams in their company at naptime and at night. All the Raven-Lyon offspring had been similarly paired when they were six months old with ’Dini young.

On Iota Aurigae, such partnering had become normal. Even before much interspecies communication had become viable, miners—who were so overworked they were glad of any assistance—had taken adult pairs of ’Dinis into the pits and shafts when the Mrdinis had “dreamed” their willingness to do so. The tough and suspicious Aurigaen miners had discovered that the ’Dinis were instinctive colliers, hard workers, and unusually strong.

Not for the first time did Laria regret that the conformation of the ’Dini made it impossible for them, with their stout short legs and stumpy tail, to straddle the hardy little Denebian hybrid ponies that Humans employed. When they were younger, she’d occasionally put Tip and Huf up on Saki, Tip in front where she could hold on to it, and Huf riding pillion behind, its fingers latched tightly to her belt. But it wasn’t the most comfortable way to travel and now her mates were too heavy to ride Saki with her.

“Good hunting, Thian?” Laria called back.

“Plenty for pot and spit,” her brother yelled, grinning hugely. “Rojer’s right behind us, with their bag. He must have some secret source of scurriers, the amount he’s bringing in.”

Hunting was a weekend occupation for the three oldest Raven-Lyon children, who were good archers while the ’Dinis were clever with traps. With such a big household to feed, small avian species and burrowing animals, scurriers, and the variety of rabbit that had adapted well to Aurigae were welcome additions to protein requirements, not always as well satisfied by the huge gardens.

The Tower could, of course, have brought in any supplies needed but it had become a matter of family pride and honor for this household to supply its own needs—Human and Mrdini—either from the high plateaus and valleys behind Aurigae City or from their fields.

Saki was too eager for her warm stable and supper to be held back to wait for Thian so Laria let her walk out, her tired young ’Dini mates hauled alongside.

As they finally reached the terrace level, lights were already beginning to augment the dimming day and illuminate the broad courtyard. Saki’s hooves clattered across it, summoning the resident pets: Coonies, Darbuls, and what Laria had termed slithers, the Mrdini equivalent of a pet.

Neither reptile nor bird, neither furred nor feathered, but loving, affectionate, dependent on assistance to survive anywhere, slithers had—to everyone’s great astonishment—become accepted by Coonies, ignored by Darbuls, and endeared themselves to the Humans as useful household creatures. Their existence and nurture by Mrdinis had been a curiously important factor in the acceptance of the aliens: “Any critter that cares for a pet—even one as repulsive as that slithery reptiloid er . . . ah . . . entity,” the Fleet Commander had remarked, “can’t be all bad.”

As slither diet consisted of Aurigaen insects and small bugs unappetizing to other life forms, the creatures kept the large sprawling Raven-Lyon residence and neighboring fields clear of pests that often caused humans on Aurigae considerable discomfort or nuisance when they fed on the crops.

* * *

Laria was already giving Saki a rub-down when first Thian and then Rojer arrived in the stable, to tend their own beasts. While one ’Dini brought the catch up to the kitchen wing, the other helped with hay and feed for the horses. That set the already stabled animals to stamping and snorting.

Have all the ponies been fed? Laria asked, broadcasting her thought more than directing it to either parent.

Please, darling? Had some late Tower traffic, replied Damia. What splendid hunting you’ve all had!

Laria ’ported the feeds into the mangers, adding the special vitamins and salts that two of the newest ponies required until their digestions altered to Aurigaen grasses. As usual, the four ’Dinis clacked in loud appreciation of her kinetic skill.

WE FEED PONIS, WE MAKE PONIS ’APPY, Tip and Huf chanted, although they themselves had done nothing, but as Tip and Huf were hers, any of her achievements were also theirs. Laria gave a small, almost inaudible sigh of resignation: for all their years in a Talented household, the ’Dinis were always more charmed by small teleportations like this than any of the major workings from the Tower. Cargo and ships just disappeared from or appeared in cradles, whereas now the ’Dinis could see the movement from one place to another.

WE FEED PONIS PLUS, Thian’s pair, Mur and Dip added.

WE FEED FIRST, Tip began, turning its poll eye back over itself to pin Mur with a steely glance.

She signed it quickly not to be so silly and tlocked with her tongue a disapproving note. Tlp shrugged that off, swaying its upper body and head in reaffirmation.

As her parents had cautioned her as soon as she began to experiment with her telekinetic abilities Laria was careful in its usage. The young Raven Lyons did ’path more than most Talented parents would recommend for family communications but then the circumstances were unusual. Conversations between Humans—when the ’Dinis could not follow verbal speech—would be rude, so they often ’pathed rather than discourteously speak what their guests could not understand.

The entire Raven-Lyon family, including eight-month-old Petra, was considered by the Governmental Authority to be acting as official liaison representatives to Mrdini. Telepathy allowed the family the privacy and ease to discuss intimate matters which might have to exclude the ’Dinis.

As soon as Laria, Thian, and Rojer had seen to the comfort of their ponies, they and the other ’Dinis went up the ramp from the stable complex to the Hall where most of the combined household’s activities took place. With their ’Dinis’ help, Morag was already plucking, skinning, and eviscerating the catch. Zara, who would not butcher animals, was washing and preparing vegetables and greens. Afra and Flk were trussing bird and scurrier beast for the spit while Damia and Trp were doing multiple tasks with the rest of the meal. The ’Dinis were also carrying on a voluble conversation with their returning young. Despite the differences in shape and origin, there were many similarities between Mrdini and Human in the care, education and nurture of their progeny.

Laria caught only half of what Flk and Trp were saying to the younglings but the sounds merrily ranged up and down the pitches available to ’Dini vocal cords so she knew that nothing was amiss. ’Dinis might not use body-language supplements when speaking to their own but tone could be interpreted in this home of sensitive Talents.

Anything new? Laria asked.

Nothing at all, darling, Damia said. Can you do some more carrots? You know how Flk and Trp adore them but they haven’t got the hang of using scrapers.

Vitamin A! Laria replied with a mental grin, and ’ported two more bunches from the storeroom, holding them up for her mother to approve the quantity. A nod sufficed and Laria began preparing them.

Tlp and Hgf immediately came to her assistance, their single poll eyes glittering for they were as fond of carrots as the adults. Once she had scraped, they sliced, Tip and Huf twitching their upper torsos happily, their “heads” bent so that their single poll eyes were focused on what their hands were doing. Ordinarily, ’Dinis brought whatever they were working on up to eye level but when attempting a Human task, they tended to adopt Human postures.

Some people said they couldn’t tell one ’Dini from another but that’s because they didn’t work closely with a pair. Laria recognized, and knew the names, of every pair living on Aurigae. ’Dini Pairing itself was another mystery that hadn’t been adequately explained, though biologists were trying. They had had to accept the fact that Mrdini always came in pairs. Laria did not know if Tip and Huf were the young of her parents’ Flk and Trp: she didn’t know if Flk and Trp were birth pairs, or had paired off by mutual choice when mature. There were still gaps in communication levels.

The Mrdinis Dreamed explanations but these did not explain their biology. Mrdinis reproduced during their annual hibernations. Whether mating occurred before or during was still debatable: the Mrdinis did not seem to understand “gestation” as a concept of time or even a process. They did not understand “abort” or “impotence” as a reason why not all “pairs” reproduced. Nor why there were always twin births. Diplomatic courtesy denied Humans the right to observe in the hibernatory. No one was certain that these were live births, or if the Mrdinis might be oviparous. But the young were born “adult,” in that they understood the basics that all ’Dinis instinctively knew. They had to wait until their muscles strengthened to walk upright but they needed only to be “reminded,” Laria thought, of sounds—words—to reproduce them properly. As Damia once said, ’Dini young went from “oh” to “oration” in nothing flat. And they left the hibernatory “house-trained” and with mouths full of sharp teeth.

Mrdini builders had constructed the special hibernation facility well up in the hills behind the sprawling Raven-Lyons home. To this all the Aurigaen Mrdini retired for their two-month long period of inactivity. Not all pairs reproduced in that time. Not all remained for only two months. When all had left the facility, it was scrupulously clean and ready for the next hibernation period.

Laria was both relieved and lonely during the absence of Tip and Huf: relieved because she didn’t have that extra worry about doing or saying something misleading; lonely because she enjoyed their company and the fun they could get up to. ’Dinis had whimsical humor and a special rippling wheeze that was their amused noise: not quite a laugh, not a sputter, but definitely laughter. Fortunately ’Dinis and humans had comparable notions of comedy.

Though she had learned to get tongue around the vowelless Tlp and Hgf, Laria used Tip and Huf: Thian called Mrg and Dpl, Mur and Dip. Her parents called Flk, Fok, and Trp, Tri. Evidently ’Dini made do without vowel sounds, though they certainly had innumerable consonant sounds, glottal stops, and fricatives to produce all those clicks, clacks, dongs, bongs, tlocks, and infinite varieties of whistle. Laria had become so deft at interpreting, that her parents often asked her to verify their understanding of conversations with Flk and Trp.

Then dinner was ready and served with rapidity to the hungry horde. ’Dinis had clever blades that served as spoon, fork, and knife. Laria was adept with the instrument and kept one on her belt as Tip and Huf did. Fingers were permissible at home, Morag and Ewain employing theirs to good use, even remembering to use finger-bowls and napkins. Zara was even more fastidious at nine and her ’Dinis tended to imitate her. The fact that the ’Dinis were also accustomed to finger-bowls and napkins had at first astonished Humans. Afra had carved the first bowls from Denebian hardwoods, decorated with the first Dream which the ’Dinis had sent him and Damia. While he still entertained everyone in the household with his paper folded origami designs, he had added wood-working to his leisure time.

He had done ’Dinis in origami. Fok and Tri carried theirs in their belt pouches and would often exhibit them to ’Dini guests. While all the family liked to watch him create his animals and forms, only Rojer and Zara showed enough interest to learn to do the intricate paper folding. Fok and trihad attended the first two lessons and then retired. Their digits were too powerful for the delicate movements needed and they tore more paper than they folded.

Mrdini mental processes apparently differed from Human—though the results might be similar—but areas of mutuality were in constant development, and double households like the Raven-Lyons contributed hugely to interspecies understanding. It wasn’t their Talent that was exercised so much as their innate empathy and objectivity.

“Dad,” Thian began when he had assuaged the first edge of hunger, “we’ve about hunted out the nearby ranges. Aren’t I old enough to use a sled?”

Afra thoughtfully regarded his eldest son, all bony ribs, elbows and knees in his latest growth spurt and likely to match his father’s height soon.

It would be useful, considering the fact that we may not ’port our friends about the place.

Laria held her breath, for while she didn’t begrudge Thian the opportunity . . .

Both Laria and Thian are responsible youngsters, Afra went on, nodding at them in the manner both knew was cautionary as well as challenging. I shall apply to the City for licenses. You two will have to qualify on your own merits but I’ll arrange with Xexo a time to give you trial runs . . . Study the operation manuals.

Sure, Dad, both Laria and Thian chorused, delighted. Considering both had the family eidetic memory, they’d be through that requisite in an hour or more. And Xexo, the resourceful T-8 Tower engineer, who kept all the machinery running smoothly, had known them since their births and was a special friend.

Then, as Thian turned to Mur and Dip, Laria signed to Tip and Huf that soon they wouldn’t have to climb the hill: transport was going to be arranged. They would be able to reach new hunting grounds without effort. The ’Dinis clicked and wriggled enthusiastically—Tip almost falling off its bench in its exuberance.

Laria, you must also become familiar with the management of Mrdini ground effects machines, Damia added, cocking her head in her daughter’s direction. I’ll arrange that with the Coordinators.

Then I will be going to Mrdini?

Damia nodded, a resigned twitch to her lips. That has always been the plan. Thian will follow when he reaches sixteen. You will be the first young Human to go. She sent a flood of pride and encouragement to her eldest child. Then she, in turn, felt the warmth of love and reassurance from Afra, salving the ache of that separation.

Sixteen is old enough for one of us, Afra said in the very tight focus that meant his thought was for her alone. She was also aware of his mental caress.

I was no older when I was sent to Altair, she answered as discreetly.

The difference being that Laria does not resent the duty.

I think we’ve done what we could to be sure she wouldn’t, Damia added with a resigned sigh. You’ve made such a good father.

Afra grinned openly, his smile including every child at the table. They’ve had their mother’s help.

I shall miss her, though.

Why? She’ll be only a thought away.

It’s the thought that she will BE away. Damia diverted herself by ’porting the dirty dishes from the table and extracting the final course from the larder.

With the exception of Terran bee honey, the Mrdinis did not find sweets palatable. Honey was, however, a luxury item when it was available. So, while the Humans ate fruit, the ’Dinis cracked nuts and picked the meats out of the shells or nibbled at the unsweetened mealy crackers, made of imported ’Dini flour that Damia baked for them. From time to time, ’Dini delicacies were shipped to the exchange personnel but today was not an occasion.

DAMIA! Keylarion called and the Aurigaen Tower’s T-6 managed to cram excitement and alarm into her shout for the Prime.

Damia and Afra immediately excused themselves and ’ported down the slope to the Tower control center where the generators were beginning their upward climb to full power.

“Earth Prime ordered me to get you both here,” Keylarion said.

Father? Damia sent across the vastness of space, her thought boosted by gestalt with the generators and Afra’s immediately accessible T-2 thrust.

Mrdini scouts have crossed the path of three Hive Ships! Jeff Raven said.

Three? the Damia-Afra link cried in an almost fearful tone.

Three! The theory is that these must have originated from the Home System for their directions began to diverge just as the Mrdini scout ship crossed their ion trail. Fortunately the scout was well out from any Alliance colonies or worlds. The Hivers are heading even further out.

The Damia-Afra link let out a cheer, all apprehension dissolved at this tremendous news. For fifteen years both Mrdini and Nine Star League ships, now called the Alliance, had been probing systems to locate the homeworld of the Hive Culture, aliens whose prime directive of ruthless propagation of their species had once attempted to invade the Mrdini colony in its Sef solar system. The attack had been repulsed but only with the extreme sacrifice of ’Dini ships and personnel. The colony had been devastated and had to be rebuilt and repopulated. Thereafter ’Dini had kept ships in constant patrol about their colonized worlds and sent out squadrons to patrol nearby space and make sure no Hive ship ever got so close to a ’Dini world again. Over two centuries they had maintained such a vigil, constantly expanding the parameters of “safe space,” their whole culture dominated by the dire threat of Hive penetration.

The Mrdinis had also searched vainly for allies of sufficient spatial sophistication to aid them. The resources of their home and colony planets had been stretched to the utmost in the constant vigilance.

As desperately, the Mrdini sought new weapons to destroy the predatory Hive ships. The effective tactic was to use a suicide ship which would plunge midships in the spherical Hive ship and detonate itself in order to achieve total destruction of the Hiver. Not every suicide mission was successful, for the Hive gunners were skillful and often six suicide ships had to attack to be sure one got through. Such punitive losses had naturally used up tremendous materiel as well as ’Dinis whose genes should be perpetuated.

But still elements of the ’Dini fleet searched and would track down any Hive ion trail located in the vastness of space.

Then both a marauding Hive ship and the ’Dini ship following its ion trail discovered the Denebian system.

Jeff Raven, an unexpectedly Talented telepath and teleporter, had single-mindedly held off three scouts from an intruding Hive. With the assistance of the Primes of Earth, Altair, Procyon, Capella, Betelgeuse, and the Rowan on Callisto Moon, the mind-merge focusing in Jeff Raven had destroyed two of the scouts and sent the third back to its mother ship. Two years later, the Mother Hive had been on a collision course with Deneb which had been thwarted when the Rowan, leading the female minds, had paralyzed the dominant Hive “Many.” Then Jeff Raven, being the focus for the male Talents, had diverted the Hiver into the blazing whiteness of the Deneb primary star.

Alarmed, the Nine Star League had prepared distant early warning devices around all its inhabited systems to forestall another incursion by this dangerous species. The Mrdini had been able to circumvent the device, by staying just beyond its sensor range and inserting instructive dreams in the sleeping minds of Damia, Afra, and four other Denebian Talents. The Mrdini were not only triumphant to find a species that could destroy a Hive ship with no loss of life and without collecting a flotilla of space vessels and suicide crews to do so, but who would also be Allies in their long struggle against the depredations of the Hivers. Deneb had been unknowingly selected as an excellent Hive colony society. The press for acceptable worlds on which to propagate themselves meant the annihilation of any life form they encountered. Sadly not all emerging species had the weapons to counter such tactics and the method which the Talents had used—telepathy and teleportation—had seemed magical to the Mrdinis. While the ’Dinis had no “Talents” as the Nine Star League understood it, they were able to superimpose their Dreams on susceptible human minds.

Through these Dreams, they had communicated an outline of their history and their hopes, and the Nine Star League, with the help of all Talents, began to establish a viable communication level: starting with the most pliable and least resistan Humans . . . children of both Talented and unTalented families.

* * *

Damia and Afra had been one of the first families to accept Mrdini youngling pairs in order to establish a useful form of communication between the species. As it happened, Talent was an unimportant factor since the Mrdini mind could not be read even by as powerful a Talent as Jeff Raven, or his wife, Angharad Gwyn-Raven, the Rowan. But when Damia realized she was pregnant, shortly after the first ’Dini contact was made, she was one of the first to suggest that the youn...